High antinuclear antibodies may be related to physiological causes, autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. Elevated antinuclear antibodies caused by physiological factors do not require treatment, while elevated antinuclear antibodies caused by autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, etc., are generally not curable.
1. Physiological causes: Elevated physiological antinuclear antibodies are mostly caused by cellular aging, so they are mostly seen in the elderly. Moreover, physiologic elevation of antinuclear antibodies usually does not cause clinical symptoms such as joint pain or skin rash, so no special treatment is needed.
2. Pathologic causes:
(1) Systemic lupus erythematosus: the main manifestations are specific skin lesions, photosensitivity, oral ulceration, etc. Antinuclear antibody, anti-double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid antibody, and anti-soluble antigen antibody are all positive. This disease can be treated with immunosuppressant and glucocorticoid, etc. However, it cannot be cured, and requires lifelong medication.
(2) Rheumatoid arthritis: the main manifestations of the disease are morning stiffness and joint deformity. In addition to antinuclear antibody, rheumatoid factor test is also positive. Drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., ibuprofen, etc.), glucocorticosteroids (e.g., prednisone, etc.), and immunosuppressive drugs (e.g., methotrexate, etc.), etc., which are also incurable.
The elevated antinuclear antibodies need to go to a regular hospital to find out the cause and follow the doctor’s instructions to standardize the diagnosis and treatment, do not self-medication, so as not to cause delays in the condition.